The invention relates to a pipe cleaning device.
Pipe cleaning devices are widely used for cleaning the interior of pipes. These devices typically contain a sponge type body, bristles and/or scraper plates which remove debris from the inner surface of the pipe when the device is moved in an axial and/or tangential direction through the pipe.
The device may be moved through the pipe by pulling or pushing it therethrough by a wire or a rod, as is done if the device is a chimney-sweep, or by pumping fluid through the pipe, as is done if the device is a cleaning pig.
A pipe cleaning device in the form of a pig is disclosed in UK patent application GB 2273543. In the known device radially extending flexible scraping fingers are present which are slightly oversized relative to the internal diameter of the pipe so as to make resilient scraping contact with the inner surface of the pipe.
A disadvantage of the known device is that when it is moved through the pipe the scraping fingers will deflect such that debris which may be present on, or in pits in, the pipe wall is pressed against the wall by the finger and is therefore trapped and not removed.